Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Vascular hamartoma in the central nervous system of a foal.
- Journal:
- Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc
- Year:
- 2014
- Authors:
- Borel, Nicole et al.
- Affiliation:
- Institute of Veterinary Pathology (Borel
Plain-English summary
A 4-week-old Freiberger foal had serious issues with breathing and swallowing since birth, which led to a diagnosis of paralysis in the larynx (the voice box). As time went on, the foal also developed weakness on one side of its face and a painful eye condition. After the foal passed away, a thorough examination of its brain revealed a pinkish mass that was made up of many small, blood-filled vessels. This mass was pressing on the surrounding brain tissue, which likely caused the foal's symptoms. Unfortunately, the treatment options for this condition were not mentioned, but the findings confirmed the presence of a vascular hamartoma, a type of abnormal growth in the brain.
Abstract
Vascular hamartomas are non-neoplastic developmental anomalies of vessels. Cases of cerebral vascular hamartomas have been previously reported in dogs and cats. A 4-week-old Freiberger foal had shown persistent problems with breathing and swallowing since birth, and bilateral laryngeal paralysis was diagnosed. The foal subsequently developed left sided facial nerve paralysis and a secondary corneal ulcer in the left eye. Necropsy revealed a pinkish mass in the obex region of the brain. The mass was further investigated by histology and immunohistochemistry. Histologically, the mass consisted of many thin-walled, blood-filled vascular structures of variable diameter involving the white matter of the obex. The lining cells were immunohistochemically positive for factor VIII (von Willebrand factor) interpreted as endothelial cells. The endothelial lining showed also variable immunoreactivity for smooth muscle actin and vimentin. Normal neural parenchyma labeled with antibodies directed against glial fibrillary acidic protein and neuron-specific enolase was present between the vascular proliferations. A diagnosis of focal vascular hamartoma in the obex was made. The development of clinical signs is attributed to the compression of the surrounding neural parenchyma.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25261460/